How to Enhance Your Pictures using Photos on a Mac

Photo-editing can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if it’s not something you do frequently. However, with the extensive range of tools available in the Photos app on Mac, improving and adjusting your photos is much simpler than you may think.

Prepare Your Photo for Editing

Before you dive into making changes to your image, it’s a good idea to create a copy of it. This way, you can keep the original photo intact, and the changes you make will automatically sync to all your devices where the Photos app is connected.

Step 1: In case the photo you want to edit was taken on your iPhone or iPad and synced with your Mac, you might need to import it first. Right-click on the photo, choose Import, and then select the photo from the Imports section in the sidebar.

Step 2: To make a copy of the image, simply right-click on the photo or select Image from the menu bar and click on Duplicate 1 photo.

Step 3: Now you can freely experiment with adjustments on the copy, while preserving the original photo.

Edit Your Photo with Photos

To access the editing tools in Photos, either select the image and press Return or double-click on the image and choose Edit from the toolbar. Your photo will open in a separate window, ready for enhancements.

Zoom: Use the slider on the top left of the toolbar to zoom in on the photo if necessary. This feature comes in handy when using tools like Retouch and Red-Eye.

Auto Enhance: If you want the Photos app to automatically improve your entire photo, simply click on the magic wand button in the toolbar to enable Auto Enhance. You can easily undo these enhancements by deselecting the button.

You can also opt for Auto Enhance on specific elements, which we will explore further.

Adjust Your Photo in Photos on Mac

You’ll find more than a dozen options to enhance and improve your photo.

Step 1: At the top of the Photos editing window, select the Adjust tab.

Step 2: Click on an Arrow to expand an option and access the tools within.

Step 3: Depending on the tool you choose, you may see a slider or brush. For example, when adjusting the Light, you’ll have sliders for Brilliance, Exposure, Highlights, and more. To remove red-eye, you can use a brush to select each eye in the photo.

Step 4: Many tools also offer an individual Auto Enhance option. If you prefer Photos to automatically improve specific elements instead of the entire photo, click on Auto to the right of the tool.

Step 5: To undo any changes made with a tool, click on the Undo icon to the right. Alternatively, you can reset all adjustments by selecting Reset adjustments at the bottom.

Apply Filters to Your Photo

Sometimes, applying a filter can completely transform a photo.

Step 1: Select the Filter tab in the toolbar to reveal the options on the right.

Step 2: Choose a filter that suits your preference, such as Vivid, Dramatic, or Silvertone.

Step 3: Adjust the amount of filter you want to apply using the accompanying slider.

Flip or Crop Your Photo

Flipping or cropping a photo can be done in just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Select the Crop tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: At the top right, you’ll find the option to flip the photo horizontally. To flip it vertically, hold down the Option key while selecting the button.

Step 3: Expand the Aspect section to crop the image to a specific size. You can choose a square shape, select from preset ratios, or enter a custom size. Alternatively, you can select Freeform and drag the edges or corners of the image to crop it to your exact specifications.

At the bottom of the crop options, you can quickly switch between Portrait or Landscape cropping using the icons.

Step 4: To undo a flip or crop, simply select Reset at the bottom.

Rotate Your Photo

There are multiple ways to rotate an image within the Photos app.

Step 1: Firstly, you can click on the Rotate button in the toolbar. Each click will rotate the photo counterclockwise by 90 degrees.

Step 2: To rotate the image clockwise, hold down the Option key and click on the Rotate button.

Step 3: For more precise rotation, head to the Crop tab in the toolbar. Then, adjust the dial on the right side of the image to freely rotate it to your desired angle.

Compare or Revert Changes

The Photos app on Mac provides a useful feature that lets you compare your edited image with the original version. In the top toolbar, click and hold the Show photo without adjustments icon, located on the far left. This allows you to easily view a side-by-side comparison of your photo.

If you decide that you are unsatisfied with any of the changes you made, you can select Revert to original in the toolbar.

Editing images in the Photos app on Mac offers a convenient way to make simple to advanced enhancements to your photos.

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